Attack Change Before It Attacks Your JobADMINISTRATIONDOUG DLB.BERT ' 70, presidentdoug_dibbert@Unc.edu; 962-7050LISA BEERS, accountantlisa_beers@unc.edu; 962-3575BRENT CLARK ' 84, chief financial officerbrencclark@unc.edu; 962-3599SUNANDA DILLON, data entry clerksunanda_dillo Yl@",,,.edu; 962-8454DAVE DONALDSON, mail room, 962-3979PRISCILLA FULCHER, assistant to the presidentpriscillaJlIlcher@unc.edu; 962-7051MARYCATHERINE KURZENSKl, Alumni Center coord.rnarycatherinckurzenski@unc.edu; 962-7052TOM MAy, e!'int shop coordinatortOln_rnay@unc.edu;962-3741SANDY WILCOX, accounting clerksandy_wilcox@",u.edll; 843-8974MEMBERSHIPRACHEL S. COHEN ' 98, assist. membership coordinatorracheCschiffinan@unc.edu; 962-0742DIANE PADGETT ' 91, membership coordinatordiane-J> adgett@unc.edu; 962-3577PROGRAMSRICK DAVIS ' 85, director of enrichmentrick_davis@unc.edll; 962-3581LAURA CARTNER ' 93, coordinator of reunionslaura_carmer@unc.edu; 962-7053LINDA CONKLIN, coordinator ofcareer services/ inda_conklil'l@lInc.edu; 962-3749JENNIE HEMINGWAY, assist. coordinator of clubsjennie_!Jel7Iingway@ullc.edu; 962-6705LARHY LARusso ' 92, coord. of elc'te11ded study programslarry_larusso@Unc.edu; 962-7054TANEA PETTIS ' 95, assist. coord. of student programstanea-J> euis@u'lc.edu; 843-9694LINDA RAINEY ' 95 {MA), coordinator of clubslinda_rainey@unc.edu; 962-3576ANITA WALTON ' 92, coordinator ofstudent programsanita_walton@unc.edll; 962-3582PUBLICATIONSREGINA OLIVER ' 75, editorregina_oliver@Ulu.edu; 962-7056DAVID BROWN ' 75, associate editordavid_brown@Ul'lc.edu; 962-7057SARAH MCCARTY ' 96, designersarah_mccarty@Unc.edu; 962-4794BETH McNICHOL ' 95, assistant editorbeth_mcnichol@'mc.edu;962-3903STEPHANIE MILLER ' 83, adv. die. & promotions coord.stephanicmiller@tmc.edll; 962-7058DIANA PALMER ' 86, managing editor & art directordiana-palmer@u Ylc.edu; 962-3572LISA SMITH ' 94 (MSLS), online coordinatorlisa_smith@unc.edu; 843-9712RECORDS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMSROGER NELSEN, dir. ofalumni records & info. systemsrogeu·, elsert@lInc.edu; 962-7055TRACY CHRISMON, records assistanttracy_dl Yismon@unc.edu; 962-3737JULIE GONYA, network administratorjulie.., gonya@unc.edu; 962-5788MARTHA MfLLS ' 80, records assistantmartha_mills@unc.edu; 962-3585J OAN PENDERGRAPH, asst. director of alumni recordsjoan_pertdergraph@U'1C.edll; 962-3580ADAM PHELPS ' 98, records assistantadam-phelps@unc.edu; 962-3739JULIE TROTTER ' 85, records assistantjulictrotter@uYlc.edu;962-3738STARLA WARD, records assistantstarla_ward@unc.edu; 962-358462]a" II aryI Febr1/ ary 2000For 16 years, the Kenan-Flagler Business School has provided executives, students and faculty the opportunity to meet andinteract through its Undergraduate BusinessSymposium. The most recent symposium putthe focus on"The Changing Faces ofBusiness: Tools for the Next Millennium," andthe keynote speaker detailed the completetool kit for anyone interested in shaping orchanging a career.Olivia Kirtley, vice president of VermontAmerican Corp., identified the essential equip-ment needed for succeeding in business as:• Being able to demonstrate flexibility andinnovation;• Approaching career management with anentrepreneurial mindset;• Honing one's ability to communicate per-suasively; and• Striving to exceed expectations.The symposium provided attendees with anopportunity to find out what business leaderssee as the essential skills for success in the nextcentury. As a career coach, I am always on thelookout for "secrets of the trade" - who ishiring, what skills are in demand, how dopeople find jobs, who is hiring. Here, I wasable to talk with the human resource directorsfrom four top companies in the Triangle:Cisco Systems, Wachovia, Burlington Industriesand Sibson Industries. These companies,which span a wide range ofservices, includingtechnology, banking, manufacturing and con-sulting, have very different structures, missionsand products. But they share the challenge offinding qualified employees who will taketheir companies into the next millennium.I asked them my two favorite questions:"What do you look for in prospective employ-ees?" and "How do you find employees?"Although these human resource folks repre-sented distinctly different industries, they allwere looking for the same characteristics inthe people they hired: self-confidence, flexi-bility, and adaptability. They want to hirepeople who are "A players"-able to predictand manage change, communicate effectively,solve problems and take risks.Again and again,they expressed the need for people with aperformance orientation who were able to getresults.In answer to my question about how theyfind employees, they responded: "networking."All four human resource directors agreed that,even with the popularity of Internet job searchtools-includingjob postings, resume-matchingservices and independent company sites-thebest way to get ajob still is networking andreferrals. About half of their new hires resultedfrom current employees referring friends.CareerCornerwith LINDA C ONKLINWhat does this mean for the employee, thejob seeker, or the career changer? Clearly, in aclimate of change, complexity and competi-tion, you have to be able to adapt quickly tonew ideas, challenges and ways ofdoingthings. You also need to be able to articulatehow you do these things and provide clear,factual exanlples that demonstrate the qualitiesemployers are seeking.You never know when an opportunity willpresent itself. You need to be prepared to mar-ket yourself both inside and outside yourcompany. Think about what you will say thenext time someone asks you what you do.Learn to talk about who you are-your skillsand accomplishments - rather than just yourjob title or the company for which you work.Be prepared to demonstrate your ability toproduce results. Keep a list ofyour accom-plishments and add to it every six months.Think about your achievements-have youimproved a product, solved a problem,increased customer satisfaction, or providedoutstanding service? Document these events.As the experts said, most of the people theyhire are referred to them. Based on this knowl-edge, it makes sense to nurture your network.Continue to increase the number of contacts.Ask your contacts for the names ofother peoplewho might be able to share information withyou. Don't ask them whether they know ofjob openings; ask whether they know of peoplein their company (or organization, team,neighborhood, church) whom you could callfor information and advice. Stay in touch withyour contacts in good times and bad.Understand the dynamics of change andhow to deal with it. Most ofus like our com-fort zone, that place where we think we are incontrol. However, change is occurring at anexponential rate. We need to develop strategiesnot only to survive, but to thrive, in a newenvironment. Be willing to take calculatedrisks, explore new opportunities, and keep anopen mind.All these "secrets" will help you get hired.Linda Conklin is the GAA coordinaf.or ifAlumniCareer Services. For more infonnation on career-related issues, contact her at (919) 962-3749 or bye-mail at linda_cortklin@Urtc.edu